Arrangement in furniture which can be raised and lowered



1967 ca. G. BENGTSON ARRANGEMENT IN FURNITURE WHICH CAN BE RAISED AND LOWERED Filed Oct. 22, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l 4 INVENTOR, GUNNA/P GERHA/PD 55M; TSON M44, W. F

ATTORNEY.

Feb. 21, 1967 e. s. BENGTSON ARRANGEMENT IN FURNITURE WHICH CAN BE RAISED AND LOWERED Filed Oct. 22, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN'TUR. GUN/VA R GERHA RD BENG 750A! A TTOR/YEY 1967 e. e. BENGTSON ARRANGEMENT IN FURNITURE WHICH CAN BE RAISED AND LOWERED Filed Oct. 22, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

INVEN/OR 13 GUN/VAR GERHARD BE/VGTSON B) A TTORA/EY.

United States Patent 3,304,892 ARRANGEMENT IN FURNITURE WHICH CAN BE RAISED AND LOWERED Gunnar Gerhard Bengtson, 1A Eriksbergsgatan, Stockholm 0, Sweden Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 501,648 4 Claims. (Cl. 108-136) The present invention relates to furniture which can be raised and lowered, particularly tables or cabinets which consist substantially of a frame firmly attached at its upper section to a wall or the like and which has at least two brackets displaceably mounted in the frame and supporting the piece of furniture or table respectively.

Various arrangements are known for raising and lowering tables, tops of tables, projecting tops of tables used in hospitals etc., to the best working position for the purpose aimed at. These arrangements are either intended to adjust the height of the table where the load on said table is not great, such an arrangement in many cases, being of simple design, or are intended to adjust the height of the table when the load on the table is quite considerable. In this case the arrangement quite often is complicated and cumbersome. A common desideratum is that any adjustment of the height of such furniture shall be carried out gently and with the minimum of effort, and such a requirement has been very diflicult to realise, If the piece of furniture is laden with glasses filled with water, delicate or fragile objects, it is obvious that a smooth and gentle adjustment of height is of great importance.

The present invention aims at enabling the height of the table to be adjusted gently using the minimum of effort even if the piece of furniture should be heavily laden. The invention relates to the type of furniture or furniture sections which can be raised and lowered, and substantially comprising a frame the top section of which is capable of being attached to a wall or the like and at least two brackets supporting the furniture and mounted in the frame so as to be displaced by transmission means having at least one pulley mounted in said frame, and at least two pulleys mounted at a crankshaft-like section for operating the transmission means for the purpose of adjusting the height of the piece of furniture. The invention is mainly characterized in that each of the transmission means is so arranged at the pulley mounted at the crankshaft-like section that one side of the transmission means engages one of the pulleys while the opposite side of the transmission means engage at least one of the remaining pulleys.

An embodiment of the invention will be more closely described with a reference to the accompanying drawings, where FIG. 1 shows a front view of a so called therapy table connected to a Wall,

FIG. 2 shows an end view of the therapy table according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows an end view of the therapy table connected to a window table or the like,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the table according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in horizontal section of a framework at the wall and FIG. 6 is a broken vertical section of said framework.

In the figures, in which identical means are indicated with the same reference characters, 1 indicates a table-top of any type, for example for a sink or the like, and 2 a window shelf, a table secured to the wall or the like, to which a frame shall be secured. The frame comprises legs 5 having longitudinal slots 5a for a bracket 3 and a framework 4 attached between the legs 5, and having a boxlike cross-sectional shape. Situated in the vertical central section of the framework 4 is a slot 4a for a crank 3,304,892 Ce Patented Feb. 21, 1967 shaft 7 mounted at the table and so as to follow the upward and downward movements of the table. A crank 7a is attached to the outer portion of the crank shaft 7, and can be pushed in under the table so as to serve as a lock to prevent the table from being elevated inadvertently. The crank shaft 7 extends through an attachment plate 9 provided with clips for the crank 7a.

Attached between the lower section of the bracket 3 and the main central section of the top portion of the framework 4, said bracket being displaceably mounted at one end in the leg sections 5 and extending through slots 5a is a diagonal support 3a serving as a lateral support of the table. A framework 4b for example made of sheet steel is mounted above the brackets and serves to support the table top 1. A stop screw 3b having a wheel is attached to the lower portion of the bracket 3 immediately below the point of attachment of the diagonal support 3a, said screw serving the purpose of locking the bracket 3 in relation to the framework 4. According to FIG. 2 the frame is secured to an adjacent wall by means of screws 11 whereas the frame in FIG. 3 is secured to a window shelf by means of a securing plate 6. According to FIG. 6 two separate transmission elements 8 are provided which may consist of roller chains, ropes or the like, each being secured at one end to its particular bracket 3 and at its other end to a particular weight balancing member 10, which according to the embodiment shown consists of a spring but which may also consist of a pressure piston, weight or the like. The transmission member 8 runs over a pulleys 8b mounted in the framework 4, and also over pulleys 8a which are mounted in a bracket attached to the table so that the pulleys 8a move with the table during its movements up and down, the upper pulleys 8a being connected to the crank shaft 7.

Levelling means 12 for adjusting the table horizontally, seen from the side (see FIG. 3), are mounted on the lower section of the leg section 5. The arrangement functions in the following manner:

FIG. 6 shows the table 1 in its top position. On rotation of the crank lever 7a in an anticlockwise direction, also the crank shaft 7 will be rotated and the pulleys 8a securely mounted thereon also rotate in anticlockwise direction. This means that the transmission member 8 will extend the springs 10 and displace the extended portion toward the brackets 3 so as to lower the latter to a corresponding degree. The pulleys 8a, as mentioned above, are so mounted in the table 1 that they are lowered to the same extent as the brackets 3. This, however, does not detrimentally influence the function of the arrangement. If the crank 7a is rotated in clockwise direction the uppermost pulley 8a will also rotate in clockwise direction. This means that the transmission member 8 allows a compression of the springs 10 insomuch as the bracket is raised to the same degree. If the table is to be locked in a certain position the crank 7a can either be locked in a corresponding rotational position or the stop screw 3b can be tightened, said bracket 3 being locked in relation to the framework 4. By using two completely separate transmission members 8 with the balancing member 10 so that each transmission member acutates its own bracket a very smooth and gentle adjustment of the height of the table is obtained even though said table should be heavily laden. It is possible to accomplish such adjustments using the minimum of effort.

The invention is naturally not restricted to the embodiments now disclosed but can be modified within the scope of the following claims. It is not necessary to construct the arrangement with two balancing members each positioned on one side of the framework but both balancing members may also be mounted on the same side. Neither is it necessary to use two balancing members but these can be combined into one unit if they are mounted on the same side of said framework.

The invention is, furthermore, particularly useful in such therapy tables which are provided with a two-leg frame, the top section of which is securely attached to a wall or the like, or the invention can also be used to advantage with tables having four legs or principally when it is required to adjust the height of a working table or the like.

In addition to tables the invention can also be applied to other pieces of furniture such as cabinets or other fittings.

Because of the chain, or rope, transmission means raising and lowering of the piece of furniture is carried out simple, and as free from friction as possible. It is necessary to take care of unbalanced loads and in an arrangement provided with chain transmissions the risk of an unbalanced load is eliminated. This together with the ability of the crankshaft to follow with the table-top constitutes an important characteristic feature of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. An arrangement in furniture or furniture sections which can be raised and lowered, substantially comprising a frame, the top section of which is capable of being attached to a wall or the like and at least two brackets supporting the furniture and mounted in the frame so as to be displaced by two transmission means each having at least one pulley mounted in said displaceable frame, and at least two pulleys mounted at a crankshaft-like section for operating the transmission means for the purpose of adjusting the height of the piece of furniture, characterized in that each of the transmission means engages the 4 pulley mounted at the crankshaft-like section and having one side of said transmission means engaging the furniture over one of the pulleys while the opposite side of the transmission means is engaging a balancing means secured to the frame over at least one of the remaining pulleys.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the pulleys for one and the same transmission means are arranged in close connection with each other, the crankshaft section and the associated crank being connected to said pulleys so as to follow the upward and downward movement of the piece of furniture.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein balancing means are provided at one end of the transmission means and consists of at least one spring extendable in relation to the height of the piece of furniture and one end of which being securely connected to the lower section of the frame.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein all transmission means are secured to one and the same spring mounted in the frame.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,171,084 8/1939 Fasce 108-147 X 2,532,342 12/1950 Sloane 108147 X 2,649,345 8/1953 Hubbard 108-144 2,694,612 11/1954 Morrow 108-144 X 2,814,892 12/1957 Larsen 10848 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Examiner.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ARRANGEMENT IN FURNITURE OR FURNITURE SECTIONS WHICH CAN BE RAISED AND LOWERED, SUBSTANTIALLY COMPRISING A FRAME, THE TOP SECTION OF WHICH IS CAPABLE OF BEING ATTACHED TO A WALL OR THE LIKE AND AT LEAST TWO BRACKETS SUPPORTING THE FURNITURE AND MOUNTED IN THE FRAME SO AS TO BE DISPLACED BY TWO TRANSMISSION MEANS EACH HAVING AT LEAST ONE PULLEYS MOUNTED IN SAID DISPLACEABLE FRAME, AND AT LEAST TWO PULLEYS MOUNTED AT A CRANKSHAFT-LIKE SECTION FOR OPERATING THE TRANSMISSION MEANS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADJUSTING THE HEIGHT OF THE PIECE OF FURNITURE, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT EACH OF THE TRANSMISSION MEANS ENGAGES THE PULLEY MOUNTED AT THE CRANKSHAFT-LIKE SECTION AND HAVING ONE SIDE OF SAID TRANSMISSION MEANS ENGAGING THE FURNITURE OVER ONE OF THE PULLEYS WHILE THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION MEANS IS ENGAGING A BALANCING MEANS SECURED TO THE FRAME OVER AT LEAST ONE OF THE REMAINING PULLEYS. 